US President Donald Trump has said there will be no deal with Iran to end the conflict until Tehran accepts an “unconditional surrender”.
US President Donald Trump/PHOTO: AFO
In a message posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, the US leader laid out the conditions for stopping US attacks on Iran, saying: “There will be no deal with Iran except for UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.”
Trump has so far offered no clear timetable for the end of hostilities. In an interview with Time magazine, he suggested that his administration's goals could be achieved in four or five weeks, but emphasized that there was “no time limit.”
The president said that after Iran surrenders and a “supreme and acceptable leader” is elected, the United States and its allies could help rebuild the country's economy. He claimed that Iran could become “bigger, stronger and more prosperous than ever”, even using the slogan “Make Iran Great Again”.
Interest in the future leadership of Iran
Trump has also said he wants to be involved in choosing a successor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the early days of the conflict, according to media reports.
In an interview with CNN, the US president said he is not particularly concerned about whether or not Iran becomes a democratic state. In his view, it is more important that the new leadership be willing to cooperate with the United States, Israel and other allies in the Middle East.
“Iran is not the same country as it was a week ago,” Trump said. “It was strong then, but now the leadership has been virtually neutralized.”
He suggested he was even open to the idea of Iran being led by a religious leader, if he maintained constructive relations with Washington and its regional partners.
The impact of war on civilians
While political leaders discuss the future of Iran, the conflict continues to affect the civilian population.
A resident of Tehran told CNN that he initially hoped the war could lead to the fall of the Iranian regime. But the death of a friend in an air raid changed his perspective.
The doctor, who worked at a major hospital in the capital, died after his car was trapped under rubble in Enqelab Square while returning home after a long shift.
“He was my friend and he destroyed me,” the man said.
However, he said the bombings were “the price we have to pay to get rid of this regime”.
The conflict continues to escalate
Trump's remarks reflect an extremely hard-line stance by Washington at a time when the conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel is spreading across the region and prompting fears of a wider escalation in the Middle East.
US officials have indicated that military operations could continue for several weeks as mutual missile and drone attacks continue in the region.
